


Three Words

by Hayleythewriter



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Let Klance be happy 2kforever, M/M, but for real so fluffy, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:30:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7709950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hayleythewriter/pseuds/Hayleythewriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I love you" leaks out, Keith freaks out</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The slip up!

**Author's Note:**

> the "I love you" fic that everybody secretly needed ;)

“Okay, I seriously need to go now,” Keith pulled himself out of warm, soft space in Lance’s arms and stood next to the bed. 

“5 more minutes,” Lance twisted his head into his pillow, still half asleep though it was probably mid-morning by now. After spending another night laughing/talking/making out, and considering that the entire week had been more than quiet on the enemy alien front, he thought he was entitled to sleep in for a while, “it’s not even important.” 

“Training to save the entire galaxy is pretty important to a lot of people,” Keith said with a soft smile that Lance opened one eye to see. 

“Okay well sleeping with my boyfriend is pretty important to me.” 

“You sound ridiculous,” Keith replaced his black pajama shirt for a black athletic one and shoved on his shoes, decided to keep the sweat pants, “. . . you could always come train with me.” 

Lance couldn’t hold back a laugh, “Now who sounds ridiculous?” 

Keith tightened his laces, “okay, I’m going now Lance.” 

Lance dove back under the sheets, sad to see Keith go, “Bye.” 

“Bye,” Keith started for the door, filled with happiness.

“I love you,” Lance said, with absolutely no thought whatsoever. 

Keith tripped on flat ground. It felt like the room dropped 30 degrees. Lance immediately sat up, like someone shoved a metal pole up his back. Keith spun around and they wore similar, wide eyed expressions. 

Lance instantly knew that he been poor timing. “Keith, I didn’t mean-“ 

But before he could finish, Keith was bolting out the door. 

Lance put his head in his hands and laid back down. Keith was the best boyfriend, and the only boyfriend, he ever had or wanted to have. But sometimes he could be . . . skittish. Like when Lance had no filter and gave half asleep declarations of love. God, now Keith probably felt pressured to say it back and- what if he didn’t feel that way? Or what if- but no. Lance didn’t want to force those three little words out of him. The best thing to do would probably be to forget about the whole thing, and so Lance turned over and eventually fell back to sleep. He probably wouldn’t even think about this accidental confession again. 

Probably.


	2. The Angst! (lol)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the space gays 2: back in space and gayer than ever

Two days later and Lance figured out why he was moping into his lunchtime goo. He had barely seen Keith- not at meals, not in the hallways, and definitely not in either of their bedrooms. Something was going on. He grabbed a pen, tore out a piece of paper, and pushed his goo aside. Once he was satisfied with his list, he started his search. 

“Hey stranger,” Lance said, standing right behind Keith as he gave a startled jump. Keith turned away from the window overlooking the nearest galaxy and looked at Lance vaguely annoyed. 

“Don’t sneak up on people like that,” Keith chided. 

“Sorry I’ve mastered the element of surprise,” Lance shrugged, not sorry at all, “It can be hard to be gifted.” 

“Yeah,” Keith shuffled his feet. Oh something was totally going on. 

“So what’re you doing today?” Lance asked, just to confirm his suspicions like any fantastic detective would. 

“I. . . have plans,” Keith said in the most angsty way possible. 

“Plans like you had yesterday and the day before, or new plans?” 

“Plans like I had yesterday,” Keith said, eyes drifting from Lance to the ground. 

“So plans without me.” Suspicions officially confirmed, “I get it. You’re avoiding me.” Lance unfolded his piece of paper from his pocket and held it up triumphantly, “I narrowed it down to the fifteen likely reasons you were mad at me, and then I narrowed it down even more to the three most likely reasons- two of which are related to that time when I borrowed your clothes without asking.” 

Keith blinked, momentarily snapped out of his funk, “You did what?” 

Lance clicked his pen on and started crossing off the list, “Okay so you have not noticed your missing boxers.” 

Instead of leaping into an argument, like Lance had lowkey anticipated, Keith put his hands on his temples and looked like someone had kicked him in the stomach. 

“Lance,” Keith finally looked him straight in the eyes, “I think I need some space.” 

Lance’s arms hung at his sides, “. . . have you tried looking out the window?” 

“I mean, I need to be alone.” Keith was choked up like he was swallowing arsenic. Lance stepped back. 

“For today?” 

“For I don’t know!” Keith suddenly snapped. “If something happens to- to the team, I’ll have my comm on me. I need to leave.” Keith brushed past Lance, who couldn’t believe his own ears. 

Lance didn’t understand why Keith was acting like this, but he did understand that if he wanted to get rid of this awful feeling of an elephant on his chest, he needed to fix it immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapters! I probably could've made this all one chapter, buuuuuuttttttt I secretly love creating chapter titles. (If you notice the inconspicuous 'lol' in the title of this chapter, it's because I couldn't write these two love birds in pain if I tried! The Fluff is approaching)


	3. The advice!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Lance sends the Pidge Signal into the night sky*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunk, my one true love, makes an appearance <3 alas, it's too short. Like this chapter.

“Hunk!” Lance slapped both hands on the kitchen counter, “I need help-“ 

“Sorry, bro,” Hunk kicked the advanced alien refrigerator closed with his foot while he stirred a pot with his right hand, “I’m way too deep in cooking mode.” Lance frowned. 

“Shiro!” Lance slapped both hands on the training room wall, “I need help-“ 

“Lance,” Shiro had more weights than Lance had ever seen attatched to a metal pole and was struggling to lift the entire thing over his head, “In. A moment.” Lance huffed. 

“Coran!” Lance slapped both hands on the computer screen that the older alien was currently tinkering with, “I need-“ 

“Lance! Please no finger prints on my screen!” Coran shooed his hands away, and Lance narrowed his eyes. 

He had one more option. 

“Pidge!” Lance slapped both hands on their bedroom door, “I need help right now and you’re the first person I’m turning to.” 

Suddenly, Pidge’s door opened up, revealing them standing with a laptop tucked under one arm. “As I should be. I know everything.” 

Lance strode into their room, getting more worked up by the minute, “So do you know why Keith told me-- and I quote because it’s scared into my brain—that he needs to be alone for I don’t know?!” 

“Well,” If Pidge was annoyed at Lance occupying their room, they didn’t show it. “what did you do to him?” 

Lance rubbed his neck, “In order since the beginning of the week? I walked to his bedroom. I knocked on the door. I waited outside. I knocked again. I smiled at him when he opened it. I-“ 

“Okay, I mean what did you do that’s different from your usual levels of obnoxiousness.” Pidge corrected themself before he could open his mouth, “of lovable obnoxiousness.” 

Lance’s face twisted into concentration. “I-“ and suddenly it hit him like an anvil in the nuts. “Oh my god. Of course. I did the absolute worst thing in the universe.” 

Pidge looked intrigued, “What?” 

“I told him I loved him.” 

Pidge glanced to the right, “. . . and then you set him on fire?” 

“No, Pidge, this is it. I totally ruined everything because I don’t have a stupid filter. God, he’s probably so freaked.” 

“I’ve never been in a relationship, but I have downloaded a lot of Earth rom coms-“ 

“You can do that--? Sorry, off topic.” 

“-and I think it’s healthy if two consensual people say I love you to the person they love.” 

Lance groaned and put his head in his hands. “ we’ve been dating for like 4 months! I love you is a bomb you drop maybe year two.” 

“What?! You say I love you all the time. You told Hunk that twice before breakfast today.” 

“Yeah,” Lance looked at her like she’d just said that water is wet, “cause he’s Hunk and I love him. You know how Keith is. When I first tried to hug him he judo flipped me.” 

Pidge held up their pointer finger, “One, that’s goddamn hilarious, and two, you’re totally overreacting and probably reading way more into this than you should. I think you should take a breath, give Keith some alone time, and then try talking about it calmly.” 

Lance was pumped with adrenaline, “Yes,” he said firmly, “or, I could trick Keith into thinking I didn’t mean it and we could go back to happy dating like normal! Thanks Pidge!” He patted their shoulder and practically leaped out the door. 

Pidge plopped onto their bed and opened their computer. “This is going to go so wrong so fast.”


	4. The happy ending!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has his own plan, so really how can anything go right??

Lance sat at the kitchen table with Hunk, eating the great food Hunk had been slaving over earlier. They chatted about idle thoughts (“Okay, so I used to think the moon was made of cheese, who didn’t, Hunk!?”) until suddenly Keith walked through the door and made a beeline for the fridge. Lance immediately started to laugh. 

“Hunk!” Lance grinned, “I love you!” 

Keith opened the fridge and started rummaging around. 

Hunk sat up a little straighter and though his brow was furrowed, he seemed pleased, “Aw, thanks man. Love you too.” 

“And your hair!” Lance exclaimed, “Do you cut it yourself? I love it.” 

Lance missed the way Keith’s head banged the top of the fridge when he straightened a little too fast with a juice carton in hand. 

“Actually, yeah I do!” Hunk ran a hand through his own hair and smiled, “I could cut yours if you wanted. You’d look pretty cool with an undercut.” 

Lance feigned excitement, “I would love that.” 

Carton still in hand, Keith marched out of the room. As soon as he was gone Lance deflated, still feeling like he was screwing everything up. 

“Great!” Hunk said, apparently oblivious to Lance’s sudden mood swing, “when did you want to-“ 

“Okay, thanks buddy, but I gotta go,” Lance stood from the table and stood to go find an area for phase two.  


Hunk said alone, and grumbled, “I’m charging him for a trim, that’s for sure.” 

Throughout the day as Keith ignored Lance, Lance struck up conversation with anyone who would listen, always being sure to toss around the word “love” like it was meaningless. Pidge inevitably caught on, and nearly blew his cover when they shouted, 

“You’re dating, you’re in love, it happens!” before leaving to find Hunk for some real conversation. Luckily, Keith had already left the training room when he’d heard them approach.

By the large window once again, Lance pretended to eagerly listen as Coran continued his talk about the Alteans. 

“. . . and that’s the entire 600 year history starting from my grandfather building the Castle of Lions!” Coran exclaimed. 

“Wow!” Lance beamed, just as Keith wandered in, “I love your lectures-“ 

“Lance,” Keith finally snapped and Lance felt the rush of relief fill him like an ocean. Keith talked to him! “What the fuck are you doing?” And he was angry. 

“What?” Lance blinked innocently, “the word love means nothing to me! Like right now, when I basically lied.” 

“Oh,” Coran stiffened up and made his way out of the room, feigning indifference poorly. 

Keith huffed, “is this your immature way of talking about-“ 

“why you’ve been avoiding me?” Lance cut in, “Yes! Wait—it’s not immature!” 

“Then be honest! You don’t love me.” Keith folded his arms and glared, in a way he hadn’t since before they started dating.

Lance faltered. He’d forgotten exactly what he wanted Keith to think. “I’m confused.” 

Keith let out a short, bitter laugh, “I’m not. It was all over your face as soon as you said it. Like someone wrote regret across your forehead. And just when I thought that I-“  


“thought what?” Lance stepped towards him, eagerly.

Keith studied his face, guarded, and then turned towards the door, “Forget it. I want to be alone.” 

“No!” Lance blurted, “Wait, Keith, I just didn’t want you to get the- the wrong idea.” 

Keith spun back around, “If this is just a casual thing for you, like, a space fling or something that’s- that’s not okay with me. And at first I thought it was- and then I needed some space so I could convince myself it could be- but I can’t be casual with you. I know you love a lot of things- as you’ve made abundantly clear today- but I’m different. I used to think I couldn’t- or I didn’t- love. But then I met you and I learned that I can. . . and I do.”

Lance felt love for his boyfriend overflowing within him, and he needed Keith to know it. To feel it. “Keith, I love you so much.” 

Keith looked towards the ground. “you said yourself that doesn’t mean anything—“ 

“I was just worried that I freaked you out! Remember the first time I complimented your hair and you grabbed a pair of scissors?” 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh at the memory, “Okay, it was 2 A.M. and I thought you were sarcastic. I was just-“ 

“freaked out! I know! This isn’t a “space fling” to me. I am truly, crazy in love with you here, and on our planet, and on every planet. And I don’t regret that for a moment. I love you.”

Somehow in the span of the conversation, the two had gotten closer (internally and physically). 

Keith pressed their foreheads gently together, “even more than Coran’s lectures?” 

“Somehow, yes.” And then Lance was grinning, "do you still need some space?" he all but whispered. 

Keith briefly glanced at the twinkling stars through the glass, but then settled his eyes onto Lance's, "I think we have all the space we need." and in one final motion, he closed the rest of the space between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....and it's completed! Wow. I apologize if you're lactose intolerant, because this was super cheesy!


End file.
